Abstract:

The education field is currently experiencing a remarkable technological boom. Advanced technology solutions inside and outside the classrooms, different e-learning experiences and flipped teaching methods are highly encouraged. The use of the Internet, social media and mobile technology devices such as cellphones, smartphones, and tablet computers has increased rapidly in past years. Still, some studies show that teachers are not always willing to embrace technology solutions in their teaching activities, while students frequently face difficulties when adopting the most advanced technology applications in their learning. Thus, although technology advancements provide a number of advantages in teaching and learning, frustrations also arise among both teachers and students regarding their use. This paper discusses this, so called, technology paradox in education and approaches a number of questions that arise from it, such as: What is the role of the teacher in this new technological area? Does technology help teachers to deliver their knowledge more effectively? Or is it rather a barrier to a more outstanding teacher’s performance? What about the other elements, inner to the teacher him/herself? Teachers deliver their knowledge and communicate with their students through many different ways: through their body language, through their rhythm, volume, and intonation of the voice, and even through the spatial boundaries they determine in their classrooms. These are all elements of a non-verbal communication. A number of researchers evidenced that up to 90 per cent of the communication processes occur on a non-verbal level. Are these elements getting neglected in this new technological area? What is their real importance? And finally, how can they be combined with technology to reach the maximum impact on students and boost their performance?
This work attempts to answer these questions by offering a snapshot of the research field through the review of major studies on advanced technology and non-verbal communication in education. Non-verbal communication of teachers emerges as a key element in both teaching and learning, and is even found to exert a positive influence on instructional ratings in the courses of teachers. On the other hand, although technology solutions sometimes do get rejected by both teachers and students, without any doubt, there are here to stay. Thereby, the real challenge in the education field is to make technologies coexist with, rather than substitute, the teachers’ communications skills, thus enhancing the interaction between teachers and students and subsequent mutual creation of value.

Keywords:

Advanced technology, technology paradox, non-verbal communication, teaching and learning.